We all know the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah can be hectic, so why not lighten the load by preparing some of your desserts ahead of time?

With school not yet in session and the holidays still a few weeks away, now is the perfect time to start making desserts that are as sweet as the New Year we hope for.

We’ve put together a fantastic roundup of desserts that can be made in advance and frozen, ensuring you have one less thing to worry about as you bring in the New Year. From decadent treats like Warm Chocolate Cobbler to the comforting flavors of an Apple Bubble Ring and Date Roll Cookies, these recipes are not only delicious but also practical.

Each recipe has been carefully selected for its ability to retain flavor and texture even after freezing, so you won’t have to compromise on quality. These desserts will taste just as good defrosted as they did the day you made them.

By preparing these baked goods in advance, you’ll have more time to spend with loved ones, more energy to focus on your prayers, and more space to savor the sweetness of the holiday. Let’s make this Rosh Hashanah not only delicious but also stress-free!

Baked Desserts:

1. Warm Chocolate Cobbler by Faigy Murray

Trust the process, and you will yield a delicious, gooey chocolate cake that will be the perfect comforting end to any of your Yom Tov meals.

2. Apple Bubble Ring by Brynie Greisman

When my sisters and I were dating, my mother would try to have a yeast cinnamon cake or danish in the oven whenever we had a date, so the house would smell homey and welcoming. (If she was short on time, she sufficed with putting just cinnamon in the oven!) There is nothing quite like the tantalizing aroma of fresh yeast cake. This cake, filled with apples and pecans, smacks of fall. You will have just one ball, then another, then another…

3. Date Roll Cookies by Sina Mizrahi

These cookies are perfect, and I don’t say that lightly. They are a bakery staple I grew up with but only love the homemade version. The tender shortbread-ish crust wraps around sweet, sticky date paste in a union that even chocolate can’t improve. Make them plain first. After that (because there will be repeats), load them with halva, nuts, marzipan, chocolate chips; they handle it all. The powdered sugar dusts them beautifully, like a fresh blanket of snow. One batch makes plenty, so share the love.

4. Perfect Honey Cookies with Honey Frosting for Rosh Hashanah by Faigy Grossmann

Can you go into Rosh Hashanah without a jar of honey cookies?! These cookies are the perfect mix of crunchy outside, soft center, and all the delicious spices reminiscent of fall. They’re also super simple to make. Eat them straight out of the oven or jazz them up a bit with a drizzle of honey-flavored frosting.   These cookies can even be tweaked to look like little apples for extra cute bonus points!

5. Mini Apple Pies by Erin Grunstein

My Bubby Czarna z”l, whom I called Bubby Bagel, made the best apple pie in the entire world. This is an adapted version, made in mini format. These freeze beautifully.

6. Apple Crumble Cake by Faigy Murray

Every year I would make loads of honey cake. Cuz you know honey cake and Rosh Hashana are a must! But I realized my family doesn’t care for honey cake. But this apple crumb cake they love! While I was taking photos of this cake I had to keep shooing my daughter away. She kept “tasting” the crumbs! It’s that good!!

7. Apple Strudel Baklava by Erin Grunstein

This is a mouthwatering combination of baklava and strudel, with a crispy outside and soft and chewy inside.

8. Sweet and Meaningful Rosh Hashanah Envelopes by Renee Muller

Every year, when I prepare my Rosh Hashanah menu, I skip one side dish. I know my sister will, without fail, send some of these over. I look forward to them all year and sometimes think about preparing a batch as a side dish for another chag…but then I don’t. Some things need to be saved for those special moments in the year, when carrots, dates, and apples ….aren’t just carrots, dates, and apples. This, by the way, is one of the only ways my children agree to eat carrots.

9. Apple and Honey Rosh Hashanah Muffins by Renee Muller

At our house, Rosh Hashanah cannot happen without honey muffins. At least, that’s the way my kids see it. It’s a family project, and by now, a family tradition, too. This recipe was given to me by a relative in Israel who bakes them all the time and claims that no matter how many batches she bakes, there are never enough. She’s absolutely right. We once baked a quadruple batch of these (sans the apples) for a bake sale on our block and we were left without a crumb!

10. Oats n’ Apple Caramel Cookies by Chavi Feldman

I always try to incorporate some sort of baked goodie with apples in it to my Rosh Hashanah fare, and this year I’m definitely using these delicious cookies. For all apple-cinnamon oatmeal lovers out there, this one’s for you!

No-Bake Desserts:

11. Strawberry Daiquiri Mousse by Chavi Feldman

Who doesn’t love all things strawberry? An easy and refreshingly light dessert, this mousse was devoured by all of my testers, adults and kids alike. Spiking the strawberry puree topping with rum adds that subtle twist that takes it from ordinary to extraordinary.

12. Silan Ice Cream by Rorie Weisberg

Watch Rorie make this delicious parve silan ice cream with her famous Dip the Apple in Honey Cake, here!  

13. Cappuccino Mousse by Chanie Nayman

After I created the cookie cake, I ran over to Shaindy’s house in the middle of the night, euphoric with the results, and we started talking about our families’ favorite Pesach desserts. Thank you for sharing this one with me and all our readers! No frills, this recipe hits the spot.

14. Strawberry Pomegranate Sorbet by Rivka Fried

This sorbet will hack it! One bowl, no mixer and the result is still decadent. Trust me on this one!